There's a distinction between grace and mercy. Grace is receiving something that you don't deserve and mercy is God withholding something you do deserve. As sinners, we all deserve hell. "But God commendeth His love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom. 5:8) We are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8). Mercy and grace work hand in hand.
I realize how horrible a person I really am. How wicked, how sinful, how wretched I really am. I know what I deserve. Praise God, I'm saved. Christ has redeemed me with His precious blood. Why did He save a sinner like me? His Word says it's because He loves me. What bounless love!
But I'm still a sinner. I still sin. In many ways, my sin is ever before me. Now should I ask the Lord to remove all guilt? God has forgiven me...but my sin is still ever before me. The affects of my sin, I deserve. It cannot affect my soul or my final destination. Nothing shall separate me from the love of God and no man shall pluck me out of my Father's hand. But the guilt, knowing I wronged not only my God but those I love...I deserve it.
I'm sorry for all the hurt I've caused. I want to leave it all behind but I can't. I must confront what I did and every blow, I rightly deserve. Every pain-staking strike, it belongs to me. Now I'm not paying for my sin. Christ already paid the price. But as a child to a heavenly Father, I must be chastened.
But have I learned my lesson?
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